


His Edith and her Arthur

by Isaiah623



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M, Family, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:21:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25556533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Isaiah623/pseuds/Isaiah623
Summary: Everything is going well for Nick. He's the first fox in the ZPD, has an amazing partner by his side, and is making his life and the world a better place. But one day, he encounters a little fox kid with two colors in his coat. So begins the greatest part of Nick's future, while he deals with the greatest pain of his past.
Relationships: Nick Wilde/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 13





	1. A talk between Tods

Paperwork. The greatest enemy an officer of the law could face. Nick wanted to scream. He glared at his computer in endless annoyance. How did Judy do it? Every time she filled out a report, her paws flew like an eagle across the keyboard. Every time Nick did it, he went slower than a sleeping sloth. The fox rubbed his emerald eyes. He glanced around the cubical he shared with Zootopia's first rabbit officer. The desire to purge boredom from his body drove him to study his workspace.

On Nick's desk, on his left, sat a picture framed in wood. His parent's faces beamed at their son. Nick held such a resemblance to his father, that if John Wilde looked a few years younger, had the grey strands in his scarlet coat removed, and if Nick looked a few years older with an air of time breed wisdom about him, the two could've passed themselves off as brothers. Though Nick inherited many things from his father, he gained many things from his mother as well. Against her black fur, Holly Wilde's green eyes shined like emerald pools bathed in moonbeams. She had an arm wrapped around John's waist, while she wore the same smug, gleeful grin, she'd given to her boy. Nick smiled. He loved his parents more than you can comprehend. True, he adored them, but Nick also envied them.

John and Holly had lived the married life since high school. For over twenty years, the two stayed as one, and their love endured. Every time they traded glances, it was like that spark went off in their hearts the first time all over again. Nick couldn't understand it. He could only admire it and yearn for something like it.

The crimson furred officer shifted his attention from the picture on the left to the one on his right. Steel formed the frame for this captured moment. In the photograph, Judy's smile almost matched the richness of her amethyst eyes. Streetlights bathed her long grey ears. She sat on a bench with an arm slung around Nick's neck. He chuckled at the memory. After the Gazelle concert, Judy ambushed the fox with her phone and a hug. It had caught Nick off guard. Which did well to explain his baffled face Judy had snapped with her camera. Nick didn't request the photo placed on his desk, but when some bunny put it there, he found no reason to discard it.

Judy had come into Nick's life like a bolt out of the blue. One second, he helped her restore the city's peace, and now he helped her keep the peace. If someone told Nick, he'd be partners with a rabbit cop three weeks ago; he would've conned them out of their wallet and laughed all the way to the bank. That same mammal no longer existed. Judy had changed Nick for the better, and like most good things in life, she had done it in a way no one expected.

As Nick's mind went to Judy, his body urged him to follow. He peered behind him at his partner's space. A little clock shaped like a barn house sat on her desk, along with more family photos than most cared to count. A Gazelle poster hung before her empty chair where the rabbit's bowler hat lay.

Earlier in the day, the dynamic duo had arrested a zebra who stole a few dozen dollars from a thrift store. When the Zebra saw Judy and Nick coming, he bolted. He had taken fives steps into his sprint before Judy brought him down with a kick to the back. Few in the city could outrun the ZPD's lightning hare. Since she had done all the work this time, Nick volunteered to file the report while Judy dealt with the Zebra in the interrogation room. This is how he ended up in the current situation.

"I'd almost rather go savage or be iced," Nick mumbled as he forced himself to return to the report. Once in a while, a red paw wandered from the keyboard to a bowl of blueberries. Nick plucked a blueberry with his claw. He tossed it into the air and, without looking, let it fall onto his tongue. He relished the fruit's, sharp sweetness. His digits hovered above a second one when a voice called to him.

"Hey, Wilde." It said in a deep and powerful tone.

Nick looked to the cubicle's entrance. The sight of a lion dressed in uniform greeted him. Bob Johnson's tawny mane waved whenever he shifted his weight. And although he possessed a brawn worthy of awe from all who met him, a tenderness flickered in his golden eyes. Nick's face twisted into puzzlement. What business did Johnson have with him? Before this encounter, the two had not spoken to each other. Nick could not guess why Johnson needed him, but he knew one thing, whatever it was, it was not paperwork.

The vulpine spun his chair around to face his comrade, "What's up?"

Johnson sighed and ran a paw through his mane. "Earlier today, Mchorn and I were out on patrol when we came across this kid. The little guy looks at best four and is walking around the streets all alone. It was clear the kid was lost. So Mchorn and I approached him. We tried for half an hour to get him to talk to us, but nothing. He won't budge. I think he's scared of us since we're so big compared to him. Anyway, we just want to get him home but can't do that without knowing who he is. We brought him back here to talk to you. Mchorn had the idea that maybe he'd be fine around you since you're both foxes."

Nick's ears faltered. The paperwork didn't seem so bad now. He wanted to brush Johnson's request off at first and almost did. Yet, the agony Nick suffered the night those prey kids put that muzzle on him returned. The memory still cursed him with heartache. And what if the child Johnson had brought in was suffering that kind of pain? The question lingered.

The tod yielded to his conscience, "Alright. Bring him here."

The lion spun on his feet and departed. He returned minutes later with the boy, and wonder stole Nick's voice.

A myriad of foxes lived in Zootopia with a host of colors among them. So, a fox child born to parents with two different hues between them was commonplace. Nick himself was proof of this. And in the case of children like Nick, they inherited a single color of the possible two. Yet, for one child to have both colors passed unto them? If anyone thought this impossible, the boy before Nick would prove them wrong.

Ten thousand white speckles, like snowflakes upon winter stars, adorned the child's crimson coat. He stared at his feet. A few wrinkles spoiled his bright clothes. His tail rested between his knobby knees, and the waves of anxiety rolling from him earned Nicks' pity.

Nick's wit restored itself. "Don't worry about the kid." he said to Johnson," I got him." The lion nodded and took his leave.

Silence ruled the air. No sound echoed between the two until Nick's chair squeaked when he arose. On gentle feet, he went to the boy. The child's ears flinched at every step he took. He towered over the boy, and Nick did what his father had done when Nick himself needed comfort.

Nick got down to the boy's level. On his knees, he placed a paw upon the child's shoulder. He wore his mother's warm smile and spoke in his father's gentle voice. "Hey, don't worry, bud. Everything's gonna be ok."

For the first time, the boy looked at Nick, and for the first time, Nick studied those sapphire eyes. They stirred something in him. Nick knew he had seen them somewhere, somewhere important long ago, but he also realized this wasn't the time to ponder. This boy needed him now. He could dwell on his curiosity later.

"I promise." Nick said, still smiling, "We'll get you home. My name's Nick, and I am gonna go out on a limb and guess that your name is Ryder?"

Already Nick's charm began to melt Ryder's meekness, "Yes, Mr. Nick." He said with the corner of his lips lifted into a small grin.

Nick rose back to his feet with a chuckle, "Well, I suppose it was a given. I mean, with your fur being that way, it's not like your parents had much choice, right?"

Nick didn't wait for an answer. He strolled to Judy's chair and rolled it next to his desk. At Nick's request, Ryder took a seat.

The officer fox leaned into the arm of his chair with a paw to prop up his head, "So kid, tell me how you got here. I mean most tods I know at your age aren't wandering around the city."

"I got here after that lion and rhino drove me here," Ryder answered in honesty.

Nick fought back the urge to facepalm, "No, I mean, how did you get lost on the streets to start with? I can see your clothes are mostly pressed, clean, and neat, so you must have a home? All I want to know is how did you get from your home to the street."

Ryder gave a drawn-out "Oh" in realization before he said, "I snuck out."

This time Nick did facepalm, and Ryder giggled. This manner of questioning went on for some time. It took Nick sixteen minutes to get this story out of the boy: Ryder lived in a penthouse with his single mother, six butlers, five maids, and three cooks. Ryder wanted to get a special gift for his mother's birthday this year. So, he thought about all the things his mother loved. Then it hit him. He remembered how she adored dresses. So, Ryder set out to get one by himself. He snuck out of the penthouse, rode the elevator down to the first floor, and crept out a side door. Ryder believed he could do it all on his own. Life proved him wrong in an instant. He didn't know when or how it happened. Ryder only knew he had gotten lost and was afraid before and after Mchorn and Johnson brought him to the station.

As Nick listened, he went through a list in his head. He had once bragged to Judy he knew everyone in Zootopia. Nick knew many single parent vixens and many vixens who lived in penthouses. But a vixen like Ryder's mother?

"I think I would have heard of a vixen like that." He said to himself as he grabbed a blueberry and tossed it into his mouth.

Ryder watched him in wonder. He snatched a pawful of blueberries from the bowl and threw them into the air. They never came down. Both foxes looked at the blue smears on the ceiling while fruit flakes fell around them.

The white on Ryder's cheeks turned a faint pink, "Oops."

Nick chuckled, patting Ryder's head, "It's fine, kid. Just try it one at a time and with less power from now on." Nick demonstrated perfection when he did the trick anew like clockwork. "So does this mama of yours have a name? And I mean what other people call her, not what you call her. So, don't say her name is mama, ok?"

Ryder picked a blueberry and tossed it into the air. "The butlers, maids, and cooks call mama Madam," He said after the blueberry missed his mouth and hit his nose. "Auntie Zel calls her Snowball."

"Who is auntie Zel?"

Nick's words flustered Ryder. The boy gawked at him as if Nick's tail had combusted. "You don't know who auntie Zel is, Mr. Nick?"

Nick shaking head prompted Ryder's gushing rant. "She's only the best singer in all the world, not counting mama. "

"Obviously," Nick added.

"Auntie Zel goes all over the world singing and dancing to the songs mama makes for her, and- look! She's right there!" Ryder had pointed to Judy's Gazelle poster. And so, it was, Ryder did what Judy never dreamed of. He made Nicholas P Wilde speechless twice in one day.

"Your mom writes songs for Gazelle," He repeated to make sure he had heard Ryder right.

Ryder focused on the second blueberry he threw above his head, "Yeah, Mr. Nick, I just said that." The second blueberry bounced off his ear. Ryder pouted watching, the fruit roll across the floor. When it stopped, he turned to Nick. "You're not the best listener."

Nick ignored this. Information raced through his brain. "If his mom works with Gazelle, she must be rich, and if her penthouse can hold all that help and still have enough comfortable room for her and her kid, then it must be massive." He thought. And here an idea hit Nick like a savage elephant.

He slid out of his chair and gently took Ryder by the paw. "Where are we going, Mr. Nick?" Ryder asked as the two walked through the station. All sorts of huge officers crossed their path. Lions, tigers, elephants, buffalo, and more than these went around them.

All dwarfed the fox duo. The sight of them drove Ryder to cling to Nick like a security blanket.

Nick placed a secure arm around him, saying, "If I am right, and I often am, we should be able to see your home from the front of the station. Only a few places in the city have a penthouse as big as yours, and all of them are skyscrapers."

They passed through the glass front doors into the sunlight. Warmth bathed them as summer's aroma filled the air. Clouds sailed across the sky, and the wind whistled to what flowers grew between the cracks in the ZPD parking lot. To better see the field of buildings in the distance, Nick put Ryder on his shoulders. The child combed Zootopia's horizon.

Nick waited a whole twenty seconds before Ryder cried, "There it is, Mr. Nick! I can see my house from here."

Nick followed Ryder's pointing claw, and his eyes threatened to pop out of his skull. No other building stood as tall nor as beautiful, as the Towering Tree, the first skyscraper of Zootopia. Sunbeams danced across its glass crown, amber body, and within the heart of windows that glimmered like diamonds. Ryder's mother was among the wealthiest in the city to call such a marvelous place home. Of this Nick was certain. 

This truth shook him, and once Nick collected himself, he said, "Well, I guess it won't be too hard to find your house. Now, all we need is Judy. Then we can get a move on."

"And where exactly are we going?" Said a voice alongside the thumping of a rabbit's foot.

Nick's secured Ryder's legs on his shoulders and whirled around. "Carrots." He chirped, greeting Judy's furrowed brow. "How did things go with our Zebra friend? Did you find out why he stole those hard-earned dollars from that thrift store?"

"He wanted money to feed his…" Judy glanced at Ryder," less than great habit. I charged him with third-degree robbery. He should get a few years in jail. Now, as long as we're asking questions, I have a few for you slick." She said, folding her arms over her chest, "Why isn't the report filled out? Your progress is so slow; I swear Flash could beat you in a race. And why are there blueberries on the floor and ceiling? And most importantly, why are you standing outside with this little guy?" On the last question, Judy's flashed a smile and waved at Ryder.

Nick told his partner everything. Though, to save Ryder from embarrassment, he lied about the blueberries and made up a story of how he tripped. Through the retelling, Judy stayed calm, but then the subject of Gazelle came into play. When the rabbit discovered Ryder's mother wrote for the idol, Judy oozed excitement. Nick and Ryder blinked. Judy vanished with a burst of speed and came to a grinding halt halfway to their patrol car.

"What am I doing?" Judy told herself. "Got to stay focused. Got to stay professional. We have to get Ryder home to his mom." She tried to walk to the vehicle in a poised fashion. The giddy twitch in her tail betrayed her.

Ryder giggled. "Miss Judy's funny."

Nick made his way to the car with a smirk, "Carrots has her moments."

Ryder's smile fell. He bent down to Nick's ear and whispered. "I am sorry you had to lie to make it so that I didn't get in trouble about the blueberries."

Nick waved it off, "Don't worry about it, kid. We foxes gotta stick together, right? Let's just get you home."

Judy revved the engine when the two got close. The car came to life. A deep rumble rolled from the hood. Judy buckled up, while Nick took Ryder from his shoulders and opened the door to the backseat. "Alright, kid, get in, and we'll have you home in time for lunch."

Ryder didn't budge. He only stood there, peering into the back seat with a mist of tears over his eyes. "Mr. Nick, did I do something bad?" He asked in a voice to break your heart.

Nick rested his knees on the pavement. The gravel dug into his clothes. The heat burned his fur, yet his worry for Ryder masked whatever pain gnawed at him. "No bud. You've done nothing wrong. What makes you think that?"

Ryder pointed at the back seat. His little paw trembled, "It's just… isn't that where all the bad guys sit? So, doesn't that mean if I did something bad, you gotta put me back there? That's why I got scared when the lion and rhino brought me. They put me in the back, and I thought I'd done something bad."

The problem and solution dawned on Nick at the same time. He shut the back door. "You don't have to sit back there if you don't want to. Tell you what you can sit upfront with me. Would you like that?"

Ryder sniffled and nodded. After Nick got in the car, he sat Ryder in his lap. Since Nick's seatbelt held him, he wrapped Ryder in his arms and pressed the boy's back into his chest.

Judy punched the Towering Tree's address into the GPS. "Ok, everything is ready to go. Onward to Ryder's house!" She yelled in an overdramatic tone.

"Onward to my house!" Ryder mimicked. Nick laughed at the pair as the car left the parking lot behind.


	2. Ancient Songs

Nick slumped into his seat. He groaned. "We're gonna die-,"

"-of boredom," Ryder continued, sitting in Nick's lap.

The trio had encountered a problem on their way to the Towering Tree. Judy scowled through the windshield. Her claws dug into the steering wheel, as hundreds of cars sat all around the cruiser. None could move, and the radio had reported why. Ahead, a van sped through a red light and rammed into another car. Though Judy was thankful, no one had suffered any grave wounds, her hatred for the abominable traffic endured.

She sighed. 'I gotta stay positive. "She told herself, forcing a smile onto her face and turning to the two foxes in the passenger seat. And awe graced her. When she first saw it, Judy hadn't appreciated Ryder's coat, yet now she fixed her mistake. Scarlet and white lay interweaved in majesty and, like dawn rising over her childhood farm, stole Judy's breath away. 

"Do I got something on my face, Miss Judy?" Ryder asked, breaking Judy from her trance.

The rabbit shook her head a little and turned back to the traffic. "No, Ryder. I'm sorry for staring. I was just looking at your coat. I've gotta say, I've never seen anything like it before. It's just beautiful."

Ryder blushed. "Thank you. Mama said I got both colors in my coat because I'm a miracle."

Judy gushed. "Aww, that's so adorable. Which color of fur came from your parents? Did you get the white from your dad and red from your mom?

Ryder shook his head. "Mama told me I got the white from her, and the red from my daddy."

Nick's chuckled. "Wait a sec, you've got two colors to your coat, your name is Ryder, and your mom's a white fox, and your dad's a red one. Wow, kid, you're pretty much a living legend."

Ryder's blush blossomed. He threw his eyes to his lap, fumbling with his digits. "I guess..." He muttered as a smile flowered upon his face.

Confusion pricked Judy's curiosity. "Why did you call Ryder a living legend, Nick?"

Both foxes whipped their heads at Judy. Shock flooded Nick's face before understanding came over him. A mist of tears gathered in Ryder's pity bearing eyes. He gazed at Judy like she had disclosed a tragedy where her mother used to hit her instead of kissing her before bed.

Ryder frowned. "Did your parents never read you any bedtime stories, Miss Judy?"

Nick patted the smaller fox's head. "She's a bunny, bud. Her mom and dad only read her bunny stories. She doesn't know our fox stories."

That cleared awayRyder's confusion, not Judy's.

"I don't get it, Nick." She asked. What does Ryder's name have to do with fox stories?"

"It has everything do with it, Carrots." He said, glancing at the dead traffic. "And since we're gonna be stuck here a while, why don't you I teach you a little bit about fox history?"

Nick wanted to tell a story? Alright, by Judy. Anything was better than this boredom. She slumped in her chair, allowing her long ears to fall and relax on her back. At first, Judy expected some ridiculous tale, yet one look at Nick erased this idea. Nick had swiftly changed. He no longer looked like an officer who'd cracked witty jokes. Now he looked like something more, for a solemn and mighty passion was about him. It made Judy sit straight in her chair. Both ears sprung to attention and heeded every letter Nick said.

"Long ago, other, bigger, stronger, prey and predators treated us foxes like nothing. To them, we were less than dirt. Back then, they even made it a crime for foxes to learn how to read or write. But, as you know Carrots, we foxes are wonderfully clever. When no one was looking, our ancestors gathered around the fire. They couldn't read or write. But they could dream and sing. So, the old foxes made a hundred songs. Each song told a story where foxes were the heroes, had happy endings, and could find hope when the world gave them none. Over the generations, these songs were passed down and spread across the globe. Even now, they are still passed down, and it'd be impossible to find a fox in the city who doesn't know at least one by heart. And of all those songs, the one about Arthur and Edith is probably the most well-known."

Puzzlement rattled Judy. Arthur and Edith? Those names sounded familiar, but why? Judy dove into her memories. Her thoughts swam, then it hit her. Nick's graduation, the first and only time Judy had met his parents in person.

"Aren't Arthur and Edith your parent's names?" She asked.

Nick shook his head. "Nope, my dad's real name is John. My mom's real name is Holly. When you met them, they only called each other Arthur and Edith as nicknames."

Judy's baffled face asked for an answer, and Nick obliged. "Maybe you'll get if I sing the song of Arthur and Edith. Just give me a second." As Nick did vocal warmups, Ryder cheered. He mentioned how this was his favorite song, yet his mother seldom sang it for reasons he didn't know.

While Nick prepared, Judy frowned. Her ears had caught it, the splash of sorrow in Nick's voice when he said he would sing of Arthur and Edith. He sounded broken, and Judy's heart ached for him. Why did the mention of this song hurt Nick so? And why sing it if that were the case? Was Nick putting himself through this because he wanted to or because he thought he had no choice? Judy set such questions aside, for Ryder was still with them. They had a duty to do. A talk would have to wait, though resolved rooted itself within Judy spirit. She'd help her friend no matter what. She promised herself that.

Yet when Nick sang, Judy's body went numb for wonder flourished in her mind. How could one voice create such majesty? So serene, so clean, so powerful in its purity, a melting beauty flowed from Nick. Glory embraced every word. The loveliness Nick crafted overwhelmed Judy, and she cried as he sang the song which had endured a thousand ages.

A great and kind tod Arthur was  
Who lived for nothing but one cause  
He went under both night and day  
Speaking to predator and prey  
As he wished for peace among them  
Yet all cast mistrust onto him  
Still hate, he did warmly endure  
And his soul ever remained pure  
So alone, the fox born with red  
Across the world did dare to tread

He went across shrills, clear and bright  
Through gold glens blessed with silver light  
Then as he was amid the wood  
Lost in fascination he stood  
For a melody struck his ears  
And moved him to both mirth and tears  
He ran towards the crystal voice  
As his heart left him with no choice

There she was, Edith the tender  
A living wonder and splendor  
For her, majesty had no peer  
The vixen danced and sang so fair  
All who beheld her fell to awe  
As her actions possessed no flaw  
The glory of all seas and skies  
Dwelt within her brilliant blue eyes  
Her fur, whiter than northern snow  
Carried in each thread a sweet glow  
Her green robe caught all splendid light  
Like trees catching moonbeams at night

Drawn to her by wonderstruck sight  
Arthur's still feet moved and took flight  
He ran to her within the glade  
For upon him, allure was laid  
And in his breast, something took hold  
Something more striking than all gold  
When Edith's gaze met Arthur's own  
Something wondrous within her shone  
For she peered into kind his eyes  
And so, bliss in her heart did rise

They spoke both under the day's light  
And after the fall of twilight  
Then between them, under the gloom  
The fairest thing began to bloom  
A love to endure all life's pain  
A love that could never be slain  
A love to go past mortal breath  
And live forever beyond death

Then now, as husband and wife  
The two gave their love shape and life  
Upon Arthur's and Edith's son  
Scarlet and white flourished as one  
Ryder's fur, red as the twilight  
Also bore a heavenly white

The sublime family of three  
Together walked and laughed in glee  
And when times unsightly and grim  
Inevitably befell them  
They held steadfast to love and light  
And none could crush their fair delight

Judy sniffled. "That was wonderful, Nick."

Ryder clapped. "Yeah, Mr. Nick! That was almost as good as Mama."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Thanks, kid. I'm so honored." He said more sarcastically than there was sand in Sahara Square.

The red and white vulpine beamed. "You're welcome!"

Nick smirked at Ryder and turned to Judy. "So, do you get it now, Carrots? You get why a tod will call a vixen Edith, or why a vixen will call a tod Arthur?"

"Yeah, I think I get it now." She said, wiping away the last of her tears. "Foxes will call each other Arthur and Edith as terms of endearment, right?"

Nick smiled and sighed. "Oh, Carrots. They're so much more than that." And he gazed out the window, like a tired old soul who longed for his vigorous youth again.

"When a tod calls a vixen Edith, he's telling her 'Just as Arthur too found his Edith whom he loved above all things in this world, so too have I found you. 'The same goes for when a vixen calls a tod Arthur. Yeah, the names can be terms of endearment, but we foxes don't give em' out like candy. To a fox, saying, 'my Edith' or 'my Arthur' is serious. We treat those words like how other mammals say, 'my wife' or 'my husband.' On that note, it's also not uncommon for tods to propose saying, 'Will you be my Edith?' to a vixen or vice versa. My dad did that with my mom."

After that, Nick went silent. A melancholy air coiled around him, and Judy couldn't help but study him worriedly. What was going on to make him like this? Something about Arthur and Edith struck his core. This much was clear. When Nick retold the story about the Junior Ranger Scouts, he showed no hurt. So, what about Arthur and Edith got to him? Judy had no time to ponder this. Traffic started to move again, and she had to drive.

Peace thrived around the trio along the way to the Towering Tree. Sugar white clouds danced in the sky. Sunbeams embraced toys behind store windows, and gleeful citizens walked upon the sidewalk. Along the way, Judy drove past a quaint little theater. Light gleamed off the warm green letters of its name: Moe's Movies and Nick's low spirits rose when he saw it.

"Moe's Movies?" He said aloud like he was talking to himself. "I haven't been there since I was a kid. I must've seen that Righteous Robin Hood movie a hundred times."

Ryder gasped. "You like Robin Hood too?!"

"You know about that film?" Nick asked, shocked. "How? It bombed years ago, and the few fans it has to be my age, at least."

Mama bought the DVD, and we watch it all the time." Ryder adorably bragged before he retched like someone shoved moldy cheese soaked in spoiled milk down his throat. "But Mama loves the yucky parts. Like where Robin Hood proposes to Maid Marian or when they're walking in the forest."

Nick's laughter rang like silver bells. "I know how you feel. I didn't like those parts when I was a kid too. But you gotta admit, it's pretty awesome how Robin proposed while sword fighting those goons at the same time."

From there, the foxes chatted all about Robin Hood, and Judy couldn't follow any of it. Yet still, she found delight in the talk. To hear Nick so enthused by a movie from his childhood was a savory treat. Nick and Ryder went on the rest of the forty-minute drive. Their talk lost no momentum. They laughed, joked, and regaled in merriment only to stop when Judy parked the car. They had arrived.

They passed the Towering Tree's silver fountain and golden front doors to enter the lobby. Soft classical music flowed inside. The argent chandelier twinkled with a thousand lights. A bronze luster slid down the carven mahogany walls, and like warm soil, feet sunk sweetly into the creamy rug. Aside from Nick, Ryder, and Judy, only one other soul was in the room.

The trio walked to the front desk. With each step made, the click-clack of keyboard keys grew louder. There, behind a marble desk too tall for Ryder to see over, sat a reindeer. The plum purple suit she wore went well with her chocolate brown antlers and sugary white fur. Focus controlled her obsidian eyes. She hadn't even spared the three a glance when they entered. One hoof flew across the keyboard, the other held a phone to her ear, as words smoothly poured from the reindeer's mouth. Her talk on the phone sounded important, whatever it was.

On tiptoes, Judy peeked over the desk. "Excuse me, Miss, but we-"The Reindeer's sudden sharp glare popped the rabbit like a balloon.

Those who knew anything about Judy knew this: She never gives up. She didn't yield to Gideon Gray. She didn't cower to crime lords or sheep who sought to tear the city apart. Yet one look from this Reindeer's hard eyes shredded crushed her. Droopy eared, Judy backed away from the desk.

Nick patted Judy's shoulder. "There, there, Carrots, let me try." Nick straightened his vest, put on his sly smile, charming eyes, and stepped forward like he owned the city. The fox who could swindle a thousand mammals in an afternoon had returned.

Nick's fangs gleamed confidence as he came to the desk. "Ma'am, I'm sorry to-"Like Judy before him, Nick never finished his sentence.

As Nick talked, he had rested his arms on the desk, and the Reindeer acted in a heartbeat. Her hoof sprung from the keyboard. A smack echoed off the walls as Nick yelped, jumping away from the desk, and tending to his arm. The Reindeer's knife-keen scowl stabbed him, saying: Do not touch my desk. Nick glared in kind, yet it amounted to naught. The Reindeer returned to her work as if he were invisible.

Ryder tugged at Nick's shirt. "Mr. Nick," He whispered so soft Judy struggled to hear him. "Can I try to get her attention? Susan's my friend. We wave to each other when Mama and I leave to go to the park."

Nick grumbled. "Sure, kid. Be my guest." And so, Nick picked Ryder up and held him.

Now able to see over the desk, Ryder smiled at the Reindeer. "Hi, Susan." He whispered, waving his paw so fast it blurred into a smear of scarlet and white.

Susan reacted like clockwork. Her typing hoof arose to face Ryder's voice. It too waved frantically, and Susan turned to the little fox. Kindness illuminated her dark eyes. She mouthed 'Hi Ryder' and went back to work as if nothing had happened.

A moment later, Susan froze. Her hoof hovered above the keyboard. A half-formed word laid on her open lips as she ripped her eyes from the computer screen. The Reindeer turned to Ryder again, this time slowly, like moving too fast would make everything vanish.

"I will call you back." Susan didn't wait for the mammal on the other line to respond before she hanged up. She leaned forward, her breaths quivering. "Ryder, is that you?"

Ryder tilted his head. "Of course, I'm Ryder, Susan. Who else would I be? Oh, if I can be someone else, can I be Robin Hood?"

In stunning agility, Susan leaped over her desk. Nick crashed onto the ground after two hoofs ripped Ryder from his arms. A storm of kisses struck, and tears fell like rain on Ryder's face. "Thank goodness your safe!" Susan cried and kissed him more. "What happened to you?! Everyone panicked when you disappeared. Your mother was hysterical! Are you ok? Are you hurt? Should I call an ambulance?"

Speckles of sadness covered Ryder. "No, Susan, I'm fine." He said dejectedly. "Mr. Nick and Miss Judy took really good care of me."

While Judy helped Nick off from the ground, Susan faced the two officers and bowed. Her words quivered in gratitude. "Thank you so much for bringing him home. Thank you! Thank you!" A hundred more tears fell. "And I'm truly sorry for my disdainful attitude before. I was just so worried about Ryder that I tried to forget about it by burying myself in my work and…" Susann trailed off shrunken by shame.

Judy's smile eyes radiated compassion. "It's ok ma'am Anyone would rightfully be worried if they cared for Ryder as you do. So, all's forgiven. Right, Nick?"

Nick grunted. "Yeah," he said, brushing the last of the dust off his uniform. "All water under the bridge and that good stuff. Just give us directions to Ryder's penthouse, and we'll make sure he makes it there without pulling anymore vanishing acts."

"Of course, sir," Susan said and set Ryder down. "The nearest elevator is right there." She pointed at two silver doors built in the lobby. "When you get inside, go to the tallest floor and look for a door numbered 1075. There'll be signs in the hallway if you get lost." Susan kissed and hugged Ryder one more time before the three left, and she returned to work with new joyous energy

Nick hit the elevator button, and the sliver doors opened. Carelessly, Nick and Judy walked in, yet not Ryder. He went in like this was his execution.

As Nick pressed the button for the top floor, Judy knelt beside Ryder. "What's wrong, Ryder?" She asked

Ryder whimpered, holding his tail between his legs. "I'm scared. Did you see how Susan acted? I didn't know I'd make anyone so worried just by leaving. Oh, Mama's gonna be so mad."

Judy placed a gentle paw upon Ryder's back. "Don't worry; everything's gonna be all right. Yeah, your mama might be mad. But I'm sure she'll be even happier that you're back home safe and sound."

She had tried but, Judy wasn't Nick. Her words had did not affect Ryder, for his quivers worsened as the elevator climbed further up the floors. Yet no single failure could stop the ZPD's first rabbit officer. Judy's mind stirred, thinking of how she faced fear at Ryder's age, and when she found a nostalgic memory, she smiled.

Judy leaned towards Ryder, whispering like she had a vital secret to share. "Do you know what I do when I get scared sometimes?"

Timidly, Ryder shook his head.

"As silly as it sounds," Judy cooed. "I'll sing a song to myself that my Mama sang to my sisters and me whenever we got scared of thunderstorms. Even now, as an adult, it's always helped me when I needed it. Maybe you could try that too. Does your Mama sing you a song like that?"

Ryder nodded. His tense frame relaxed.

Judy peeked at the elevator's electronic display. It read thirty, still seventy floors to go. "Well, why don't you sing that special song your Mama sings for you until we reach the top? Ok? Even if it doesn't help, anything's better than crummy elevator music."

The word crummy got a giggle from Ryder before he mustered up the courage to sing. His voice began low and soft, like a hum tangled in mumbles before it grew in strength and clarity. Are all foxes such excellent singers? After today Judy thought it possible for Ryder sang sweeter than the sound of spring river.

Close your eyes, my dear  
Forsake all worry and fear  
Sunlight has bidden us farewell  
So now gentle shadows swell  
Moonbeams caress the sleeping shrill  
As the forest stands sweet and still

Wonderfully dream, my treasure  
Sleep as I sing with love beyond measure  
Sleep as I hold you in my embrace  
Sleep as I kiss on your beautiful face  
Explore a paradise that has no end in sight  
While my voice shelters you in the night

Your pain, anger, grief, and dismay  
Let my words lock such things away  
Let my warmth soothe your soul  
So that you may awake whole  
Under the dawn's tender light  
Blessed with valor and delight

And when you walk before the new day  
Know, that for your safety, I pray  
Know as long as this song is in your heart  
No power can tear us apart  
And know this will always be true  
The angels and I are with you

At the song's end, Ryder let go of his tail, and Judy's clapping purged any fear weighing down his shoulders.

"That was stupendous, Ryder. Bravo!" Judy praised, turning the white on Ryder's cheeks a brilliant pink.

Wonderment bubbled in Judy's chest. She turned to Nick. She had wanted to ask him what he thought of Ryder's singing but never did. A gasp jumped from her chest, and wonderment evaporated into terror.

Nick looked atrocious. His legs trembled. Tearful dilated eyes stared at Ryder, and paleness devoured him. As Nick swayed, fear launched Judy to his side. She steadied him a second before he collapsed. What was wrong with him? Judy swallowed the scream in her throat. She couldn't panic. If she panicked, Ryder would've done so too, and everything would've spiraled into chaos.

"Nick?" She said, using all her willpower to sound as calm as possible. "Are you ok?"

Ryder pouted. "Did my singing make you sick, Mr. Nick?" He asked naively.

For one agonizing second, Nick did nothing. His limbs had gone limp. His face held no color, and a horrible blank stare infested his beautiful eyes where teary rivers ran. His ears didn't even twitch. If Nick heard anything spoken to him, it was impossible to tell. Judy wanted to wail. For a fox so often filled with life, her friend had never looked closer to death. Then it happened.

Nick raised himself out of Judy's arms, chuckling as color returned to his face. "Don't worry, Ryder, your singing didn't make me sick. I just had an awful stomachache from eating too much ice cream before bed." He said, rubbing his tears away.

"I'm sorry," Ryder said bashfully.

Nick ruffled Ryder's head. "Don't be. It's not your fault; you were singing wonderfully when the ice cream attacked. After all, ice cream is good, but if you overeat it, it will turn evil inside your tummy. Don't forget that. Ok?"

Ryder nodded like this was grave, life-changing advice.

Nick faced Judy with a dazzling grin. "Oh, and thanks for grabbing me, Carrots. I almost fainted."

"You're welcome," Judy mumbled, longing to embrace Nick. He wasn't any better. Emptiness still festered in his eyes, and a now hollowness haunted his voice. No smile could hide such misery. Yet Nick's façade slipped when the elevator doors opened. They had arrived on the top floor, and, for less than an instant, Nick passed those silver doors like this was his execution.

Murals decorated the hallways. Hundreds of masterful paintings held colorful arrays that each humble the dawn's splendor. Judy ignored them all. Her focus laid on Nick and how that fake smile slipped more with each room they passed. By the time 1075 was before them, only a ghost of a grin remained on Nick's lips.

He glanced at Ryder. "Almost home, bud." Nick's shaking paw knocked, and they waited for a minute. No one came. All three shared puzzled looks, and Nick rapped anew. Once more, no one came. But before Nick could attempt to knock thrice, Judy stopped him.

"Wait." She said. "I hear someone inside." Her ears flickered to a thumping sound behind the door. The growing noise reminded Judy of home, and soon the door gracefully flung open.

The rabbit had sun-kissed fur and wore a black suit. His face was like a carven stone, beautiful, cold, and hard, and he focused on Ryder as if it was an automatic reflex.

"Master Ryder, you've returned?" The rabbit asked, wiping away the lone tear to fall from his grey eye.

"Hi, Jack," Ryder said a little fearfully. "Is mama home?"

Both Ryder and Nick breathed in relief once Jack said. "When news of your disappearance became known, everyone in the apartment left to find you. As we speak, everyone in the household, your mother among them, are out in desperate search of you. By your mother's command, I alone remained in case any news of your whereabouts arrived. Are you harmed at all, Master?"

Ryder patted his grumbling stomach. "Just a little hungry."

Warmth softened Jack's unsmiling face. "Very well. My culinary prowess is far from desirable. However, apple slices, sandwiches, and a glass of tea are not beyond my making."

"Yay!" Ryder said, walking to Jack as the butler gave his attention to Judy and Nick.

"Would either of you care for anything? It is the least I should do after you delivered the Master back unharmed."

Nick blurted an answer before anyone could breathe. "No, we have to get back to work. Both officer Hopps and I are hectic, lots of paperwork to do back at the station, and stuff like that. But it was our pleasure being able to bring Ryder back home safe and sound, wasn't it, Carrots?"

"My partner's correct. So, Mr. Jack, I'm sorry, but we'll have to decline." Judy wearily said after she had educed why Nick had said that. He didn't care about work. Work only gave him a reason to leave as fast as possible.

Jack nodded. "I understand, ma'am."

Judy smiled at Jack and waved at the little fox beside him. "Bye, Ryder. It was nice to meet you."

Ryder grinned from ear to ear. "Bye, Miss Judy. It was nice to meet you too. Bye, Mr. Nick. Thanks for the blueberries, and the singing and the talking about Robin Hood. That was all super-duper fun!"

"Before I go, Ryder, we need to talk." Nick had surprised Judy, not with his words but with his air, for Nick had again become solemn, like when he spoke of Arthur and Edith, yet this was different. You could feel it. It was stronger, thicker, sterner, beautiful, and terrible.

Nick stared down at Ryder with eyes harder than ice, and under that bitter stare, Ryder reached for his tail.

The frigid order tore through the air. "Ryder, you will apologize for what you did wrong today when your mother gets home."

"But what did I do?" Ryder stammered.

"You snuck out of the apartment, left this building, and went into the city alone." Nick spared no mercy. His tone came harsher than winter.

Tears clung to Ryder's cheek like icicles. "But I was just trying to get mama a gift for-"

Nick's narrowed gaze silenced him. "I don't care, and neither will your mother. And do you know why? Because your intentions didn't matter. In the end, what you did was stupid and wrong. You could have gotten hurt, killed, or something worse."

Panic leaked into Nick's rising voice. He never yelled. But all the hall bent before the chill his words wrought. "Someone could have taken you away, and if they had done that, you never would have seen your mama again. Is that what you wanted? To never see her again? To never hear her say 'I love you,' kiss you goodnight, or to sing you a new song she made just for you to keep the nightmares away?"

Ryder hung his head and tears shattered apart on his feet. Nick beckoned him over with a word, and Ryder ran. He buried his face into Nick's shirt, and Nick rocked the weeping boy.

Nick's paw sweetly rubbed Ryder's back. "Now, I'm not telling you this stuff to make you cry. I only want you to understand, Ryder. Your mother loves you more than you'll ever know and more than she'll ever be able to show. Why do you think she sings you that lullaby? You're her world, her everything. If she found out anything happened to you, her heart would hurt forever and ever, and I'm sure her heart was in agony when you left."

Tenderly, Nick pulled Ryder back and knelt before him. "Do you understand now why you have to tell her your sorry?"

Ryder nodded with a face crumbled in sorrow.

Nick smiled. "Good. Now before I go, promise me, you'll never do something like this again. Can you do that? From one Robin Hood fan to another?"

Ryder nodded again and went inside after Nick wiped his tears. Jack stared at Nick. If in anger or thanks for rebuking Ryder, who could say? The butler bowed to the two and shut the door.

Nick walked away so fast from Ryder's apartment door that Judy had to jog to catch up to him.

"Nick, what's wrong? She asked.

Nick kept his eyes on the nearest elevator, to the nearest exit. "Nothing is wrong, Carrots. I'm fine. I just want to get back to work."

Judy glowered. She bolted in front of Nick, forcing him to halt beside a mural where white primroses lay around a single red rose in bloom. "Nick, you're not fine!" She didn't mean to shout, but worry made her words explode. "When you talked about Arthur and Edith, you got depressed, and when Ryder sang that song, you had a severe panic attack! I almost thought you had a heart attack! Nick, please. If something is wrong, you can tell me. We're friends, aren't we?"

"Drop it, Judith." The coldness from him could've murdered the sun. It's agony to see those you love in pain, and that agony twisted Judy while Nick walked past her and to the elevator.

The silence was strangling. From the elevator ride to the first floor, to the drive back to the station, neither Judy nor Nick spoke. Judy only stole glances at the fox. She searched for the right words to say, yet how could she help when she didn't know what was wrong? Reduced to uselessness, Judy prayed time would heal Nick.

They returned to the station, greeted by a thunderous roar smashing into the walls. "Wilde!" Someone cried. Under the iron brawn of Chief Bogo's stamping hoofs, the earth quivered. A horned shadow swallowed the duo who stood near the front entrance.

Ire burned Bogo's face. "Wilde! I don't know-how, and I don't care why, but you are going to clean up that blueberry mess you left in your office this morning! This is a police station! Not a high school cafeteria."

"Yes, Sir. I will get on that right away." Nick said, devoid of joy, sorrow, anger, pain, warmth, or coldness. He oozed only emptiness now.

"I don't care, Wilde, you will-" Chief Bogo began but halted. "Wait. Wilde, are you doing what I am telling you to do without any backtalk or sass?"

Nick nodded and made his way to the supply closet. He acted more like a machine than a mammal, and every soul in the station watched him go, while the same question appeared on their face. What happened to him?

"Hopps," Bogo said, "What's going on? I'd never thought I'd be disturbed when an officer followed an order without question."

Judy sadly shook her head. She told Bogo nothing, for she had no answer to give. After Nick cleaned the ceiling of their shared office, he worked until the last minute of his shift. He never slowed down. He never stopped. He worked through piles of paperwork with horrid efficiency, and what Susan said blared in Judy's mind, "I tried to forget about it by burying myself in my work."

Long hours passed the sad rabbit and hollow fox. After the sun had fallen behind the horizon, the moon arose to take center stage. The night air was sweltering. Artificial lights of a hundred colors bathed the city, and the stars twinkled like distant gems lost in the gloom. Two souls stood outside the station with moths flapping overhead. Nick stared at the Towering Tree off in the distance.

Into the shadows, he silently walked and disappeared, leaving Judy alone to dwell on the events of the day. This was the last straw. She couldn't take it anymore. To see Nick like this drove Judy mad with pity and hurt. It had to stop. She had to help, and as she made her way to the bus stop, Judy swore to help Nick, and nothing in that vast world could have stopped that small bunny when she put her heart on a mission.


	3. Meeting the Mothers

Three days had passed. Since then, Nick had remained absent from work, having called in sick each time, and for three days concern gnawed at Judy. What was going on with that fox? From the moment Ryder had sung his lullaby, it was as if Nick had died and left a despaired doppelganger in his place.

Judy had texted him once a day, every time at her lunch break. Each text said the same thing: 'Are you ok?', and each time the phone gave the same disheartening news. Nick had read all her texts and answered none. He had shut her out.

The rabbit let her head crash onto the outdoor table. Under the umbrella's shade, which shielded her from the summer sun at some small restaurant, her half-empty smoothie stood forgotten. Judy groaned, not from the pain now in her forehead, or from the misery of meter maid work (Bogo wouldn't let her take any severe cases alone) but from helplessness. She had questioned Finick, but he knew as much she did. So, what could she do? If Nick wouldn't speak to her and Finick knew nothing, what did this leave her with?

Judy raised her head, propped a paw under her chin, and bit on the smoothie's straw, twiddling with it in her mouth. She groaned again. A dead-end had stopped before she even began. "Maybe mom and dad might be able to help?" Judy said to herself desperate answers amidst the clamor of cars honking and zooming on the morning road. But after a second, an idea struck her like lightning. "I'm such a dumb bunny!" She screamed her head, for she didn't want to scare the customers around her.

Judy leaped from her seat. She paid for her drink, sprinted to her police car, and glanced at the time on her phone. Half an hour until break ended. Judy's rekindled drive demolished any dismay she once had. But time stood against her. She had to move fast. Red and blue swept across the scene as a siren screamed into every alley and street it passed. Screeching tires scared the asphalt. Judy flew with all the speed her skill allowed her to use without forsaking safety. She twisted on turns, threaded between lanes, barreled down the city's body, and slowed when timber shadows began dancing atop her car.

A roof of jade leaves rested over the suburban neighborhood, and golden sunlight soaked the copper soil. Breezes sang in the trees. One police car's fiery engine grumbled alone in the fresh cool air. Judy coasted on the road. Her little eyes darted from house to house. They grew giant when one abode fell into sight, and so Judy whirled around the corner to halt in front of a humble little home.

Comfort flourished in the faded red paint. The garden's flowers stared at the sky, and worn windows gleamed with charm. In her eagerness, Judy stumbled out of the car. She slammed the door shut, bolted over the empty blistering driveway, and up the brick walkway. A mauve door greeted her flushed face. Those who lived here had to have the answers she needed. They had to.

Judy knocked faster than her foot could thump, and a quarter of a minute passed. "Who is it?" said a silken older voice.

"Mrs. Wilde?" Judy asked. "It's me, Judy. Can I come in, please?"

The door opened to show Holly Wilde. Daylight's white sheen swam across her black fur like starlight rolling down a stream in the night, and forty-five years of wisdom and strength sparkled in her emerald eyes. Two paws rested at her hips, touching the hem of her pale-yellow shirt and the stained, old jeans on her legs.

Holly sported a smile identical to Nick's. "Judy? This is a pleasant and welcomed surprise. What are you doing here? I thought you and Nicky had to work today? And speaking of my sublime son, where he is? Shouldn't he be with you, or is he off stuffing his mouth with blueberry pie again?" She added with a smirk.

Judy flinched. Her plan to ask Holly and John what was wrong with Nick died in its infancy. If Holly asked Judy where Nick was, then it meant two things: Nick's parents had no idea about their son, and Nick had locked himself out from them too. But Judy couldn't leave now. Even if they did not know what plagued their son, who could she go to that knew Nick better than his parents?

Judy gulped. "That's the thing, Mrs. Wilde; something happened to Nick. He's not dead or hurt!"

She blurted when panic possessed and poisoned Holly's face. Judy signed, taking a moment to assembly herself. "Can I come inside? It's a long story, and I really need some good company." Holly let Judy in like she was a daughter come home for the first time in years.

The flame flickered on the wick. The cinnamon candle on the coffee table perfumed the Wilde's living room. Judy sat on the couch while Holly took refuge on the loveseat, paws folded on her lap. Judy glanced around the room. Pictures hung on the white flowery wallpaper tainted with yellow blotches: Holly and John's wedding, Nick dressed Robin Hood for Halloween. A flustered red fox in his police uniform flanked by his teary-eyed parents as Holly kissed his cheek, and John ruffled his head. Judy smiled at the last one. She had taken it with Holly's cellphone at her son's graduation much to Nick's annoyance. Judy admired the other photos on the wall until steps and a squeaky wood floor stole her focus.

John walked to the couch. His white aprons strings swayed with his strides as steam from the tea in his paws' rose to lick at his scarlet face peppered with grey.

He gave the cup to Judy, saying, "Here you go, dear. Careful, it's hot. I just made it."

"Thank you, Mr. Wilde," Judy said, letting the drink's delicious warmth wrap around her paws. "I'm so sorry to barge in like this unannounced. But I didn't have your number, and I could only remember where you lived because Nick mentioned your address off paw and-"

John's golden laughter graced the air. "Family can come here unannounced all they want, and I mean that Judy. It's the least we can do as thanks for all you've done for Nick. Now drink your tea and try to relax. It's best you tell us what's going on while you're not all twisted and wound up."

John went to Holly's side. He leaned on the loveseat's arm as Judy drank her tea and warmth washed her body. Her ice hard stress melted into a serenity sea, and after a refreshed sigh, she told Holly and John everything. Judy spoke of Ryder, his mother, the white vixen who wrote music for Gazelle, how Nick explained to her tale about Arthur and Edith, how Nick looked so sorrowful recounting the story, how he reacted to Ryder's lullaby and became afterward.

"Then after that,"-Judy's ears flopped and fell in sync with her frown - "Nick just stopped showing up to work. This all happened three days ago. I hoped you had heard from him or might have any idea about what might be going on."

Neither Holly nor John spoke. Their eyes studied Judy as she talked and, once their guest had closed her mouth, they faced each other. Still, the pair stayed quiet. But through the subtle shifts on their faces, they traded a thousand words with one action. Judy waited, weighed down by tension. In the silence, the candle's wick crackled louder than a barrage of fireworks.

"Do you think it's her?" John asked at last.

"It has to be," Holly spat while her scraping claws tore into the loveseat's arm, causing it to bleed white stuffing. "Only she could do this to our son again."

The ferocity fuming past Holly's fangs horrified Judy, for it looked like Nick's mother had gone savage. The black fox shot up from her seat.

"That witch!" Holly cried, going back and forth in front of the dead fireplace. Her stomps sent shrives through the wall and Judy's spine alike. "Why?! Why is she back in the city?!" Holly asked John. "I thought she left for good. But she's back and has a kid. She has a kid Jonathan! Our-"

"Holly," John said, nearing his wife with tender steps. "There are hundreds of thousands of white vixens in the city. How many do you think are musicians? Yes, not all of them, but the odds are slim that it's her. This could be one big coincidence for all we know."

Holly sneered. Her tail thrashed about like a whip driven by hatred. "Coincidence? Well then, let's put that to the test."

Judy sat, pinned by a green gaze. Holly marched forward, and Judy ached to be in Bunnyburrow if her childhood home meant any safety from those enraged emerald eyes. The fox loomed over the rabbit. Predator spoke, and prey, who longed to live, listened.

"Judy?" Holly asked softly, failing to hide the ire boiling in her breath, "When you saw Ryder, do you remember what color his eyes were?"

Judy cowered atop the cushions. "They were rich blue. They looked kind of like sapphires."

John gasped. After her husband's face fell to her glance, Holly continued, arms folded behind her back. "And when you were with Ryder, did he do anything a little odd? Like a quirk when he was angry, sad, or scared?"

The answer came and left Judy's tongue in a flash. "It looked like whenever he was frightened or scared, he would take his tail into between his legs and hold it like a security blanket."

"And old did Ryder look to you?" Holly's tone tore into Judy worse than her claws had mauled the loveseat's flesh.

The officer quivered under the black fox's shadow. "Five years old at most."

Holly withdrew, seething. "Thank you, Judy. And I'm sorry if I scared you. I'm just… aggravated is all. Think I'll rest for a bit. Don't be a stranger. Like my Arthur said, come around whenever you want. Our doors are opened to you, always."

Holly embraced Judy. She left a mother's kiss between her ears, and Judy ceased to shake in an instant. (Such is the power of mother's love) After she freed her guest from her arms, Holly shot John a look, and she left the room. Her shadowy tail swished around the corner.

John picked himself up from the wall and rubbed his temple. "I'm really sorry about my Edith, Judy. But she's just always been protective of Nick. Granted, she's his mother but still. I know Holly can be overbearing."

Judy ignored the apology. Now more than ever, she craved answers. "Mr. Wilde, can you please just tell me what's going on? Who was the mammal you and Mrs. Wilde were talking about? It was Ryder's mother, wasn't it? What does she have to do with any of this?"

John's sadness seemed to age him thirty years. "I'm sorry, Judy. I can't tell you any of that. After it all was over, Nick had Holly, and I swear we would never talk about it or her again. I don't think Nick wanted to remember that time in his life. It hurt him too much like it's hurting him now."

John ran a paw over his head and collapsed on the loveseat. "If you want to know about it, you will have to talk to Nick or Ryder's mother. And since Nick is being Nick, that only leaves you with one choice. Ryder's mother should at least see you. You did help bring her son back home, after all. But a word to the wise be careful around her."

Judy's pink nose twitched. "Why? Is she dangerous?"

John wiggled a paw to say so-so. "She's not as mellow as Holly is when she's mad, so stay on her good side."

Those words twisted Judy so tight; it took two cups of tea to unwind her. Once she gave John her gratitude and John gave her a hug and a gentle farewell, Judy left. She traversed across the Wilde's bumpy front yard to reach her car. She did not need to see the clock to know she had wasted work time, for a flip of the radio's switch to give it life, and Bogo's erupting yells did it for her.

"Sir," Judy said amidst Bogo's ravings, "Can I please have just two minutes to explain myself?"

Bogo's static grumble rattled the dashboard. "You have a minute."

Judy cleared her throat. "Sir, I know Nick's been calling in sick, but we both he's not. Something's emotionally destroying him. We all saw that three days ago when he came back to the station. I'm worried about him. He shut me out. I don't know what's going with him, and the same is true for one of his oldest and closest friends. I just got done talking to Nick's parents. They know something yet couldn't tell me exactly what. But I've got a lead now. I know who can talk to Nick and help him, and I know I've already wasted time on duty that I can't get back but, Sir, Nick isn't just my friend. He's a member of the ZPD and my brother in arms. He's family, Sir, and family helps family. Please give me three more hours, and I promise I'll have Nick back at work today, ready to do his job and help make the world a better place."

After a pause, Bogo spoke past the radio's electric buzz. "It's 11:05 right now. If Wilde isn't back at the station in uniform at 3 pm sharp, Hopps, I'll dock your pay for every minute you're late and put on parking duty for so long, you'll have cut down a forest to make more paper once you run out of tickets. Am I clear?"

Judy smiled. The threat went in the ear and out the other. "Yes, Sir, and thank you."

With her affair set in order, Judy drove to the last place where answers dwelt.

Down the Towering Tree's one-hundredth floor, she marched. Electric light bathed her badge. The numbers 1075 rest bolted to the wood before her. This was it, her last chance to help Nick. Judy knocked. A walking rhythm rumbled the floor, and a brown bear dressed in the same fashion as Jack the butler opened the door. The bear ducked and poked his head out. "Hello?" He asked, glancing up and down the hall.

"Down here, Sir."

The bear jumped. If it hurt when his skull smashed into the doorframe, he didn't show it. "Ah, pardon me, ma'am." He said, brushing off some splinters out from the bronze valley between his ears. "I failed, you see, and so you startled me. Judith Hopps, I presume? It is an honor to make your acquaintance."

The bear bowed so low the honey-sweet breath from his muzzle tickled and brushed back the fur on Judy's cheek. "I am Nathaniel. How may I be of service this evening?"

Judy sowed a polite firmness into her smile. "It's nice to meet you, Nathaniel. I'd like to speak to Ryder's mother. Is she home?"

Nathaniel pouted. "Yes, the Madam is here. However, she has not been herself for the past three days and has demanded that all non-essential parties be turned away until she feels better. But," He paused to straighten himself, "since you are here in uniform, I presume your visit holds some official importance?"

Judy rooted herself to the floor. She would not lie, her parents raised her better than that, but she would not be denied. If she had to beat her way past a bear to help Nick, so be it. "Actually, my visit is about a personal matter, but I promise you, Sir, on my honor and duty as a police officer, that it's important."

The bear grinned mischievously. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure they were alone and crouched to Judy's level and whispered. "Normally ma'am, I would see you off without a second thought. But because you and officer Wilde brought Master Ryder back home, I'm in your debut. So, I'll let you in just this once, deal?"

Judy grinned, shaking his out starched paw. "Thank you, Sir. But won't you get in trouble? I need to see Ryder's mother, but I don't want you to lose your job 'cause of me."

A giggle bubbled from Nathaniel's belly. "You're sweet, Miss Hopps, but you needn't worry. My job's not in jeopardy. The Madam may be the youngest among us adults in the penthouse, yet she treats everyone who works for her as her siblings. She'd sooner eat her tail than dismiss me over a trivial thing like this. At worst, she will condemn me to wash Jack's socks for a month. But it's not your place to worry about something like that. Come inside. I will take you to her."

Judy followed the butler into the realm of Zootopia's richest vixen and fell silent. A palace above the clouds. A trove with more treasure than a meadow has flowers: gold fused into marble walls, furniture crafted in exotic lands, and carpets worthy of gods. Judy had envisioned the penthouse looking like that. This is why no sound slipped from her agape jaw. Normality flowed in everything. The walls, furniture, and decorations all echoed the effort of a middle-class worker. Even the air held the gentle warmth, which thrived in every little home that lay in the world's comfy corners.

Judy stopped to rub her eyes. She had to make sure she hadn't walked into a dream.

"Is something the matter, Miss Hopps?" Nathanael asked.

"I'm fine, just wasn't expecting this place to be so simple."

Nathaniel chuckled. "Yes, most say something to that effect when they enter the Madam's penthouse for the first time." They continued their journey to Ryder's mother as they went on passing through a grand passage painted boring vanilla white, "Despite her vast wealth, the Madam generally uses only a sliver of her money for any given purpose. She budgets herself to spending 70,000 dollars a year and will spend no more unless something demands it, like rent, medical bills, or other necessities."

"So, she's a miser?"

Nathaniel recoiled as if Judy had shot him. "The Madam is no miser, Miss Hopps." He stressed somberly. "She has only worked hard to get where she is. The Madam came from nothing. She built her fortune with her skill, sweat, and blood alone, so she knows money is not something to be wasted on an overly lavish home or fancy cars."

Respect captured Judy. What kind of vixen wielded a queen's wealth, yet found peace in living like everyone else? When this question came before Judy, it brought another along with it. "If the Madam enjoys living like a normal mammal, why doesn't she live in a normal house, or why hire so many butlers, maids, or cooks?"

Nathaniel grinned the way someone does when they know a secret only a few do. "The best view of the city is in this penthouse. The living room here is enormous. It has a huge, thick glass wall that allows you to see all the city down below. At nighttime, the skyscrapers look like diamond towers, and the sunsets will leave you teary-eyed every time. Sometimes after dinner, we all just sit down and watch the twilight until the moon rises."

Judy's imagination couldn't run rampant at the thought of such a view. Nathaniel's grim face denied her the luxury. "As for why the Madam hired so much help," he trailed off, and for a while, this bear who dwarfed Chief Bogo in brawn and stature became quieter than the meekest mouse. "After the Madam and Ryder's father separated when the Madam was pregnant with Master Ryder, the Madam had to do something to fill the void that would come from Master not having a father. That's where we, the help, come in. The Madam hoped our adoration for the Master would be enough to give him a happy life."

Judy smiled. "You all really love him, huh?"

Nathaniel's muzzle scrunched up as if the question's existence disgusted him. "Of course, we love Master Ryder. We have been around him almost his entire life. Out of everyone, I was hired last, and I was here to hear the Master speak his first word."

The two came to a door. A nail held a metal, two-sided sign, against the black painted oak. In big, bold red letters, the words: Weaving tunes faced Nathaniel as he rested his paw on the golden doorknob. "This room is where the Madam works. Since the sign's flipped this way, she should be inside."

Nathaniel opened it. A steam of violin notes poured out and swept Judy away. The melody embraced her. It lifted her into a place so grand and gentle, a part of her fell in love with music and wanted to listen until the mountains fell, and the time blew the stars out. But Judy's loyalty to Nick overtook her desire to listen, so Rabbit and Bear entered. The black door shut itself. Darkness thrived in the hall. All sound echoed so softly, Nathaniel's heavy feet made no more noise than Judy's padding, and Judy's padding made as much noise as shadow does when it runs across a field at dusk.

Judy focused on the light at the end of the passage. She had to. The darkness had taken everything else from her vision. "Why's it so quiet and dark in here?" She asked, shuffling forward.

"You cannot see them, Miss Hopps," Nathaniel said as his own shuffling echoed, a step ahead of Judy, "But this hallway is lined with foam pads. They absorb any sound that finds its way in here. The Madam had them installed, so her music did not rattle the penthouse nor disturb everyone, and it is pitch black in here because there are no lights. The Madam does not need them. She has her night vision. But since you and I do not, we must walk slowly and carefully. Falling on this floor is far from joyful. I speak from personal experience."

On tiny steps, the two made their way to the end. The golden wall of light grew brighter the closer they came until Judy had a squint and peered at the world through lids as thin as paper. Yet it did not remain this way. Her eyes adapted once she entered the musical studio.

More foam pads clung to the wall. Enough instruments to satisfy the needs of a billion bands lay in the room: Trumpets, bugles, saxophones, trombones, bongos, congas, concert drums, gongs, guitars, cellos, harps, and too many more to name. Recording equipment sat in the back. The lemonwood polish's aroma ran through the atmosphere as a fox played her violin in the room's heart.

Dark bags lingered under puffy red, brilliant sapphire eyes. A disheveled bathrobe clung to her slender frame, and knots littered her coat whiter and more beautiful than snow on the moon. The arctic vixen looked both fantastic and abysmal, but Judy didn't focus on the fox's appearance. The music held her in its thrall. From the violin came a tune to tame the world's wild heart, as its Master sang a melody to make Nick's angelic voice seem as fair as a demon's shrieking.

Wonder and woe lay woven in the vixen's song. It sounded powerful and timeless, for it was one of the one hundred songs crafted by the foxes of old. It began as such :

O great Aurora, mother of light and love  
And Supreme Queen of all in heaven above  
By thy might, the sun, moon, and stars came to bloom  
In the once evil abyss of death and gloom  
Under thy paw, forever fair and tender  
The earth became blessed with life, hope, and splendor  
Thou bore my soul, giving it this mortal frame  
And so, I shall forever exalt thy name  
Yet in this hour, I sing before thee in grief  
And pray thou shall gift me a shred of relief

Yet the piece went unfinished. In the quick heartbeat pause, between the first and second verse, the white fox had caught the rabbit and bear in the corner of her eye. When her arms fell, the music died. In one paw, she held the violin, in the other the violin's bow. She went to a plastic folding chair. The musician rested her instruments in a case, like a mother tucking her sons in for bed.

"Miss Hopps," Nathaniel said as the white fox strode towards them wearing clothes fit for a commoner yet carrying herself like an empress. "It's my honor to present Kathleen Ivory. Miss Ivory, this Judith Hopps, one of two officers, who brought Ryder back to us."

Judy wanted to squirm. Kathleen started at her like she wanted to dissect the rabbit, all to dually discover what made Judy tick and the purpose of her visit. John's warning roared in Judy's mind. Already things spiraled from peace into war before the two traded a word. Kathleen's mouth opened. Judy had to brace herself for whatever words would come storming from that tongue, and still, the fox outwitted the rabbit.

Kathleen smiled, and her speech flowed smoother and sweeter than wine. "Well then, Miss Hopps, it is my pleasure to meet you. I must say your little paw prints have left a huge impression on this city. Even before you joined the police, news about you dominated the streets, newspapers' and the T.V for weeks on end. No one could believe it—a country doe like yourself daring to stand where none of your kind had before. You made history by that alone. But then you did what everyone thought impossible saved the city, and even more than that, you brought my babe back to me! That's a debt I can never repay or thank you enough for. So, allow me to rephrase my opening statement. It is my greatest pleasure to meet you, and how can I help Zootopia's finest hero on this delightful day?"

In all of Judy's time in Zootopia, no one had given her such praise nor presented it to her with such poise and gentle power. It caught her off guard. It stuck a stammer into her mind's machinery, so Judy's first few words tumbled from her mouth.

"Thank you, Miss Ivory, and yes, your assistance would be much appreciated in helping me with something."

Kathleen crossed her arms. "Forgive me, Miss Hopps, but by your tone and inflection, am I correct in guessing you are here on personal business?" She asked as Nathaniel took careful steps away from his employer, towards the exit.

"Yes, Miss Ivory." Judy said, "I-" Kathleen held up a digit, the sign for silence, and Nathaniel withered under her scowl.

"You will do the laundry, the dishes, and clean the living room for the rest of this year by yourself for disobeying my orders." The authority and anger in Kathleen's command could have made a hundred kings yield. Nathaniel whimpered, nodded, but stayed standing. Kathleen returned her focus to Judy. "I apologize, Miss Hopps. My endearingly inept butler failed to tell you I have not been myself these past few days. But I am sure you can see that for yourself." She gestured to her attire. "I'm afraid I cannot waste what little energy I possess aiding you in your personal woes. My Ryder, though I adore him to no end, steals too much of my strength as it is. Motherhood is ever rewarding and ever toiling."

Judy planted her feet. She stared into Kathleen's eyes, as beautiful and as powerful as the untamable sea. "Miss Ivory, didn't you just say that me bringing your son home was a debt you could never repay? Well, this is your chance. If you help me with this, I'll consider us even. So, what do you say?"

A growl so low Judy's ears almost missed it, leaked past Kathleen's clenched fangs. Her composure crumpled for a flash. Judy grinned sly as Nick, for she had turned Kathleen's praise and into a poison for victory.

"I suppose I cannot argue with that," Kathleen grumbled. "Very well, I will help you and consider our debts paid. So, I ask you anew, what brings you here?"

"Do you know a fox named Nick Wilde?"

Kathleen froze, and Judy became horrified. It had come again. That same agony that had crippled Nick in the elevator hovered around Kathleen's spirit, stealing all sense of peace and power. Judy feared the worst. Would Kathleen unravel as Nick had before her? No, for Judy breathed in refile a moment later. Kathleen kept her composure. But still, something had changed within her. The Madam ordered Nathaniel to leave and tell everyone in the penthouse not to enter the music studio until her talk with Judy ended. He did as told. Nathaniel's step echoes grew fainter until they died away after the door clicked.

The two glared at each other. A tension stronger than a thousand castles arose, and Kathleen demolished it in one sentence.

"Why are you here asking if I know my alienated Arthur?" She asked.

Again, Judy was caught off guard. "I'm sorry, your what?"

Kathleen pinched the bridge of her muzzle. "As a rabbit, I understand your ignorance, but I do not find any less infuriating. Among foxes, the term alienated Arthur is synonymous with ex-husband."


	4. Homeward

"You're Nick's ex-wife?!" Judy yelled. Her cry struck the studio's metal instruments, so a soft chime echoed about.

Kathleen snarled. "For one, blessed with swift feet, you are slow-witted. Would you care to guess who Ryder's father is as well?" She flashed a false smile, "No? Then get on with it! Why are you asking about Nicholas?"

Judy ignored the questions buzzing in her head and the sting of Kathleen's severity. Nick needed help now. "He hasn't shown up to work for three days, and I haven't heard a word from him since the day we brought Ryder back home. I don't know where Nick is, and I'm afraid he might be a danger."

Kathleen's scowl shattered and worry crushed diamond-hard eyes. "Explain." She demanded.  
So, Judy told about how Nick was as she saw him last and what happened on their trip to the penthouse. Like Holly and John, Kathleen allowed Judy to tell her everything, but as the story continued, pain eroded her stony face.

The white vixen plopped on a black drum stool. Kathleen's hung head rested in the shadow cast down by the lights overhead. "Are you certain, Ryder sang that lullaby in front of Nicholas in the elevator?" She emphasized 'that' with such a grave weight that Judy hesitated to answer.

"Yeah," The rabbit said at last.

Kathleen whimpered. Her tail hid behind her sunflower yellow robe. "Then he knows," she said, more to herself than to Judy. "I had hoped Nicholas wouldn't have found out since Ryder looks more like his grandfather. Yet if Ryder sang that song, Nick knows Ryder's ours."

"Miss Ivory, what are you talking about?"

Tears fell onto the wooden floor. Kathleen wiped her puffy eyes and raised her head. The fear and bravery shining in her tired face sewed worry and wonder into Judy. She arose.

"Come." Sweet steps glided past Judy to reach the door. "We are going to Nicholas."

Judy chased Kathleen as she went into the darkness. The studio door snapped shut behind the bunny and sent a shock to bite her tail.

"Does Nicholas still reside at 1955 Cypress Grove Lane?" Kathleen's question came from the hall's end as Judy shuffled in the darkness of its beginning.

"Yes? But I already-"

Kathleen threw the exit door open. Judy squinted at the silhouette, surrounded by the golden glow of the outer hallways. "You will wait out here for me." The door closed and left Judy in the gloom.

It took Judy half a minute to get out, and she waited for another ten minutes for her host to return. "I am almost ready to depart." Judy looked up from her phone, surprised.

Beside the ebony top hugging Kathleen's curves, the long red skirt seemed brighter than fire. Her brushed coat bore no flaws, as each claw and fang gleamed like a gem, and lilacs lived in a delicate perfume. Judy had no interest in females. Yet who could deny such glory?

"I must see Ryder," Kathleen said, tucking a purple purse under her strong bare arm. "I always inform him whenever I leave; otherwise, he will fret. Follow."

Judy stamped her foot. What Kathleen gave the right to treat and order her around? The longer Judy spent with Kathleen, the more Judy wished she had the power to write someone up for being vile. But this was for Nick's sake, so Judy held her tongue. The two climbed marble steps. They went down a long, cozy hallway until they came to a door, and Judy giggled, forgetting her troubles.

"You're son's quite the artist. What's that one called?" Judy pointed one the dozen drawings on Ryder's door, which showed him saving Kathleen from a giant broccoli monster.

"Vegetables are icky," Kathleen said unamused. "You may applaud my son's masterpieces another day. We are wasting time."

Judy followed Kathleen inside. On the shelf, over the shiny T.V and old dresser, the Robin Hood doll smiled at them with his black thread mouth and button eyes. A bookcase's shadow stretched across the bed, and the quilt covered in blue stars and green flowers. 

"Madam? Miss Hopps?" Jack said, hopping off the bed to bow at them with a book in his paw. "How may I help you?"

Judy waved at Jack, and Kathleen peered past the butler to her son, who stood in the corner. "Ryder, come here."

Ryder whirled around, and his face shone sweeter than shimmering sugar when he saw Judy. "Miss Judy!" He dashed and tackled the officer in a hug. "It's so good to see you again! What ya doing here? Where's Mr. Nick? Did you come over to play? Oh, we can-"

"Ryder Piberius Ivory. Here, now." Kathleen said with the steely tone, which has forced emperors to bow before their royal mothers.

Ryder ripped himself from Judy and trudged to his mother with his tail between his legs. "Are you still mad at me for sneaking out, mama?"

Kathleen's eyes softened. She knelt before her child and embraced him. "No, my love. I am no longer mad at you. Yet I have to leave the house for a while, and I only know I will return before dinner."

"Ok, mama." Ryder hugged his mother back. "Where are you going? Can I come? Are you feeling any better today?" He asked all in the same second.

"I wanted to thank Mr. Nick and Miss Hopps for bringing you home. But it seems Mr. Nick is sick and was unable to come here himself, unlike Miss Hopps. So, I am going to see him personally. No, you cannot come. You are still grounded, and I am feeling leagues better than yesterday. Thank you for asking." She kissed her son's little black nose and got back to her feet. "Now it's time to resume your punishment. Return to the time out corner. Miss Hopps and I are leaving now."

Ryder frowned then gasped, "Wait, mama!" He sprinted to a blue binder laid on the bookshelf labeled in his poor penmanship: Ryder's art. After he flipped to the last drawing held in its plastic cover, Ryder removed it and folded it four times with care. "Give this to Mr. Nick, mama, please." He passed the drawing to his mother. "But don't look at it!" He cried as Kathleen stopped in the midst of unfolding it. "Mr. Nick's got to see it first before anyone else can. Those are the rules."

"But of course." Kathleen slipped the drawing into her purse. "Goodbye, my sweet, son."

"Bye, my marvelous mama." And Ryder gifted both Kathleen and Judy another hug before they left him to the time out corner's torment under Jack's fixed and firm eyes.

Back in the warm hallway, Kathleen's cold tongue returned to business. Her stare stayed ahead, away from the officer straining to match her strides. "Can you drive Nicholas' house from here unaided?"

"Yes, Miss Ivory. But like I was trying to tell you when we were leaving the studio, I already went to Nick's house. I went there yesterday after work. I knocked and rang the doorbell for half an hour, but Nick didn't answer. He had locked the door, and I couldn't get in. So, we can't get in unless he lets us in, or we break-in. "

Kathleen opened the door that led out to the Towering Tree's hundredth floor. "Good. We will take your cruiser to get there. If you use the sirens that will allow us to slice through the traffic."

Judy stopped her in tracks, grinned her teeth, and let out a muffled scream. "Didn't you hear what I just said?!" 

She flew to Kathleen while the millionaire pressed the button for the elevator. "I heard you, but your worries are a nonfactor."

The elevator opened, and they stepped inside. "I lived in that house for three years," Kathleen said, clicking the ground floor button. "I know it's secrets as well as Nicholas does. He would have to hire an army to hinder me from stepping into those walls, and he knows it. We will get inside. So, again, your worries are a nonfactor."

Judy put her paws on her hips. "Oh, really? And what's your genius plan to get inside?"

The rabbit felt a smirk burn beneath Kathleen's icy face. "We walk through the front door."  
Judy groaned.

Now she yearned to aid Nick for another reason; it meant her time around Kathleen would end all the sooner. After she climbed the driver seat, Judy buckled herself and began entering Nick's address in the GPS. Kathleen climbed into the passenger seat. She sniffed around, and the same pain which had eroded her stony face returned as a tsunami. Paws folded in her lap, blank eyes ahead; she sat like a criminal ready to face death for her crimes.

Judy liked Kathleen as much as she loved the old bullying Gideon Grey. But when she peeked at those pitiful eyes, compassion made her ask, "Miss Ivory, are you ok?" In the same tender tone she had used for Nick when he told her about the Junior Ranger Scouts.

"I am fine," Kathleen whispered. She struggled to say as if a choking lump laid in her throat. "This seat just smells of Nicholas is all. Now drive, Hopps. We do not have all day."

The ride with Kathleen in the car, went the same as the ride with Nick down the elevator three days ago. A sour silence had swallowed it too. Yet unlike Nick, Judy had a tool she could use to battle such stillness. She turned on the radio. A Gazelle song flowed from the speakers into the air and washed Judy in a shower of golden notes and silver lyrics. Yet when the music touched Kathleen, its beauty died against her spirit, like a wave against the shore. Judy's glee drowned in Kathleen's misery. The radio ran the whole trip, for weather silence or sound stayed, it didn't matter. Peace wouldn't come.

But the music stopped once the engine did. Judy and Kathleen got out and stood in the shade of Nick's home as it sat upon its green hill. Cracks ran through its brick-red body. The grey roof bore dents. Weather-beaten wounds covered the old crystal windows, so the house looked like some giant, lovely, bruised beast.

Kathleen chuckled, half with glee, half with grief, "This place looks as I left it."

They walked up the hill. Judy went to the creamy oaken door.

"I'm going to try and-" Judy stopped herself to study Kathleen, who stood before the flower bed, which lay under the living room window. "What are you doing?"

Kathleen stayed silent. Her eyes kept searching through the flowers while she mumbled, "This is June, so it should be under this one."

Kathleen picked up the sixth rock laid away from the door. She found dirt. Yet scooped a pawful of soil aside, and something shined the sun. She picked it up, blew on its teeth, and tossed it to Judy.

Judy caught the steel key and stared at it like it was a gold coin. "What?! Why was this in Nick's front yard?!"

Kathleen wiped her paws clean. "Nicholas and I wanted a spare key outside for emergencies. Yet we felt a key under the welcome mat was blatant. So, we came up with this idea. Each stone in this flower bed represents a month. The key is moved according to the current month. Then as an extra precaution, it is buried under the stone. This way, if anyone else tried looking for it, they would think they failed even if they picked the right one. Use it to open the front door then give it back to me."

Judy jammed the key in, and after a struggle and a slam from her shoulder, the door opened. Old hinges moaned. Judy threw the key back to Kathleen, who reburied it. A wall of pitch blackness faced the rabbit. Save the sunbeam slipping between her feet and onto the carpet, she saw nothing. 

"Oh, no. Did Nick let his electric bill fall behind."

Kathleen walked up behind her. "This is typical. If you walk into any mammal's house with night vision, they generally keep the lights off except if company comes over. With our night vision, we can see in the dark as if the lights were on." Kathleen walked past Judy and flicked a switch on.

In the same second light leaped across the snug living room, a sound tore through the air. Nick's scream froze Judy's blood. It wasn't until after she breathed with flaming lungs that Judy realized she ran through Nick's living room, upstairs, and to his bedroom door in three seconds. She flung open the door and shrieked.

Bathed in the rays of sunlight from the curtains, Nick lay in bed. The feathered remains of his pillows covered the almond rug, and his green chest of drawers. With eyes closed, his claws flailed. They slashed at the shreds of his sheets, blanket, and shirt. Scream wailed from his horse throat. 

"Nick!" Judy cried and sprang to him, yet a white paw yanked her by the ears. Judy fell on her back.

"What are you doing?!" She spat at Kathleen. "We've got help, Nick."

Kathleen panted, trying to catch the breath she had lost pursuing Judy. "Stay away from Nicholas. If you get close, he is likely to scratch you like he did to all else about him. When his night terrors are like this, he is a danger." 

Judy jumped back to her feet. "Night terrors?!"

Kathleen gasped for air once more and stilled herself. "Yes. When someone has a nightmare, they will awaken. It is not so with night terrors. Nicholas will remain like this unless awoken or his sleep ends on its own."

"So, let's wake him up!"

"We cannot," Kathleen said as she pressed out wrinkles in her skirt. "Nicholas is a heavy sleeper. The simplest way to awaken him is to shake him. Yet those slashing claws between him and us, getting near him, is an appalling idea."

A teary misty welled in amethyst eyes. "So, we have to leave him like that?!" Judy screamed. 

The desire to hold Nick as he suffered ripped at her heart.

"I never said that." Kathleen cleared her throat and sang the lullaby, which had broken Nick. 

Judy became petrified. What was Kathleen doing? How could the song that hurt Nick help him now? Judy didn't know, and this terrified her. She rushed to stop Kathleen, yet her ears caught something over the soft and splendid vixen's voice. Nick had stopped screaming. Judy halted an arm's length away from Kathleen and turned to Nick. The red fox laid in peace. He smiled in his sleep, grabbed his tail, and held it close to him alike how Ryder did. The song went on. Nick's peace bloomed with each verse, and once done, none could tell how music had saved him from demons in his mind.

Kathleen massaged her throat. "There. That should pacify him. Now it is safe to get near him." 

Judy stood, amazed. "How did you know that Ryder's Lullaby could calm Nick down?"

"Because," Kathleen said, striding to the father of her son. "That lullaby belongs to him. As his wife, when I found out he suffered from those night terrors, I couldn't let my husband suffer. So, I composed the song and sang it to him while we lay in bed, every night for over a thousand nights. It worked wonderfully. He suffered no more, and in time even me merely embracing him had the same power. But that was long ago."

"So, the reason Nick knew Ryder was his son was that he recognized the lullaby you use to sing him?"

Kathleen stood over Nick, staring down at his sleeping face. "Yes, and I often told Nicholas the only other living mammals I would sing that song to would be our children and grandchildren."

Without another word, Kathleen shook Nick by the shoulder. He sat up half a minute later. A yawn stretched his mouth as far it could go, as his paw rubbed sand from his eyes. Half sleep, Nick scanned the room. He glanced at the ruined remains of his bed, blanket, pillows, sheets. After this lingered on, Judy gave him a little nervous wave. Nick's limb swung in an attempt to wave back, and at last, he looked at Kathleen. They locked eyes.

Emerald with sapphire and after a second yawn, Nick said, "Hey Kathleen."

"Hello, Nicholas."


End file.
